Technology
Tesla launches driverless Cybercab fleet without steering wheels or pedals in Austin
The rollout tests rider acceptance of fully autonomous vehicles as Tesla faces competition, public skepticism, and safety investigations.
The short version
- Tesla deployed dozens of custom Cybercabs in Austin, Texas, featuring no steering wheels, brake pedals, or manual emergency controls.
- The launch comes as Tesla seeks to rival competitors like Waymo while confronting recent sales declines and multiple regulatory safety probes.
- Widespread adoption faces public hesitation, with polling showing most U.S. adults remain uncomfortable riding in driverless cars.
- The timeline for expanding the dedicated Cybercab service to additional cities remains unannounced.
Key facts
- Tesla deployed dozens of gold-colored Cybercabs without steering wheels or brake pedals on the streets of Austin, Texas.[Associated Press · ABC News]
- Tesla shares rose more than 5% on the day of the launch following recent declines in vehicle sales and profits.[Associated Press · ABC News]
- According to the tracking site RobotaxiTracker, Tesla operates over 200 unsupervised robotaxis across six cities in Texas and Florida, compared to competitor Waymo's fleet of more than 4,000 vehicles across 14 cities.[Associated Press · ABC News]
- A February Pew Research Center survey found that 70% of U.S. adults were not too or not at all comfortable riding in a driverless vehicle.[Associated Press · ABC News]
- U.S. regulators are conducting multiple probes into Tesla's driver-assist software, investigating crashes in low-visibility conditions, traffic violations such as red-light running, and alleged delays in required crash reporting.[Associated Press · ABC News]
What remains uncertain
- The specific timeline for when Tesla intends to expand its dedicated Cybercab service beyond Austin to other markets remains unspecified.[Associated Press · ABC News]
- It remains unresolved whether Tesla's vision-only autonomous system can match the safety performance of competitors that use lidar and radar.[Associated Press · ABC News]